Books can (sometimes) Change Your Life
Or there’s the more promising prophecy that “this book will change your life.” We’ve all seen the cliché used and over-used across publishing. You would think that by now we would be immune to the appeal and draw of marketing that’s so transparently misleading, and yet I recently found myself several chapters into a book by Marie Kondo on how I can change my life by embracing her KonMari method of organisation. We parted ways, Ms. Kondo and I. She lost me at the part where I’m expected to get rid of my beloved books, and that sort of hard-line control sounds more like a cult than a method for organising your life. I highly recommend The Joy of Leaving Your Sh*t All Over the Place instead. That’s the actual name of the book, in case you plan to call the Glass House or my family about the profanity.
The only book I recall getting rid of was Marie Kondo’s. In writing school, I learned that this is called irony. But (I also learned that it’s perfectly acceptable to begin a sentence with but) while studying literature these past so-many years, I have become convinced that while one book probably won’t change much, reading many books by theme, subject or genre can change you for the better. I’m not exaggerating, and there is a growing body of research that all but confirms that reading, especially literary and historical fiction, has a measured effect on the brain and improves empathy, cognitive ability, and memory. In one study the brain activity of volunteers was monitored and recorded before, during, and after reading a few paragraphs of Jane Austen. Increased activity in the empathy centres of participants’ brains was marked, heightened, and protracted, and the data and conclusions could suggest that we humans need books, fiction, and stories for far more than just entertainment. We need stories to share, inform, teach, and learn life’s lessons.
Fiction allows us to temporarily put our feet in someone else’s shoes, see how they fit, walk a few miles or chapters, and then try on another pair. It allows a view, experience, and perspective of one or many characters. A book is a rare opportunity to experience someone else’s views, and see that view from a new and different perspective. You can experience another gender, ethnicity, or age…just open a book. I also learned in MFA workshop to use, own and keep a cliché when it works to serve your argument.
Immersion in fiction connects us with others and bibliotherapy suggests that it has a therapeutic effect that keeps the brain healthy. Anyone who has ever fallen in love with a hero, felt lost when the love affair ends, or sheds a tear while reading the last page of a good book will know exactly what I mean.
Historical fiction in particular offers immersion, perspective, and opportunities to understand an event that might come across as uninteresting or hard to relate to in the history books. That’s why Kate Rita and I are getting together to discuss Andrea Levy’s Small Island, as it brings a very short period in 1948 to vivid life. As the cardinal rule of Book Club is no spoilers, you’ll have to read the book and join us to find out what I mean. (scroll below image for more information)
I’m immensely proud to be a part of this important new cultural endeavour, and grateful for the advice and many resources that Cayman Connection has provided to me since returning to university. Like many Caymanians living and studying abroad. I’ve come to depend and rely on their dedicated team here in the UK, especially under lockdown.
Like all of Cayman Connection’s projects, Book Club is made possible with gracious support from the Cayman Islands Government Office in the UK, corporate sponsors, and private benefactors. If you or your company are considering sponsorship as part of your PR or Corporate Social Responsibility, I hope that you will consider supporting us; I would be happy to provide a sponsorship package and/or make introductions.
